DeanMurdoch wrote:Another solid win for the Pilots...but looks like it's going to be the sternest test of the year coming up tomorrow. Valpo's 6-9 PF Alec Peters has 26 & 8 already an the Crusaders are up by 18 over Murray State midway through the second half.

Peters scores 26 points in 23 minutes and the entire bench was used.

Didn't see that coming. Was it a Murray St. collapse? Were they worn out after yesterday's game? Their starters played much of both games. Or is Valpo really that good....I guess we'll know tomorrow. It should be a fair championship game as neither team was pushed today, but the Pilot get about 2.5 hours more rest than the Crusaders who will only have about 15 hours between games.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Portland Pilots led from start-to-finish in a 71-59 victory over the Drake Bulldogs on the second day of the Challenge in Music City on Saturday night. Senior center Thomas van der Mars led a balanced attack with 14 points as 12 players scored in the game for the Pilots. Portland improves to 5-0 and matches the third best start to a season in program history.

The Pilots raced to a 24-11 lead midway through the first period and would push the margin 38-22 on a Max Livingston three-pointer just before halftime.

Drake (1-5) made an initial surge to open the second half as senior guard Gary Ricks hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Bulldogs within 40-32, but Kevin Bailey answered with a three-pointer. The Bulldogs would cut the deficit to nine points on two more occasions, but the outcome was never in doubt. Ricks finished with a game-high 23 points.

The Pilots dominated the glass with a 32-20 rebounding margin and also had 14 assists with just eight turnovers. Drake committed 12 turnovers in the contest and gave up 20 second chance points.

Both teams shot the ball well with Drake finishing at 51 percent overall and the Pilots an even 50 percent. Portland made 10-of-12 free throws, while the Bulldogs were 3-of-4 at the stripe. Portland was whistled for just nine fouls in the game.

Head coach Eric Reveno went to his bench early and often on Saturday after sticking with a seven-man rotation in a 64-61 tournament-opening win against Murray State on Friday.

The Pilots will conclude the Challenge in Music City on Sunday with an 11 a.m. (PT) tip-off against the Valparaiso Crusaders (5-1), who face Murray State in Saturday's late game. The game will be aired live on Sports 910 with pregame coverage beginning at 10:30 a.m.

NOTES: Portland also started 5-0 during the 2009-10 season... The Pilots 1995-96 NCAA Tournament team opened with a 6-0 record, while the school best start to a season is 13-0 during the 1978-79 season.

Definition of insanity??? UP Basketball. Kevin and Thomas are getting double teamed. Why aren't we going inside out and creating space to get guys uncontested shots? Bailey in the post was how we got back into the San Jose game. We haven't seen that once. Clearly Valpo did a better scout then we did. You think coach is gonna try and mix it up in the second half or will we continue to do the same thing and hope for a different result?

up7587 wrote:Glass half full: at least there's stuff to work on getting ready for PSU, and no top ranking to swell any heads.

I'm worried after today that those of us that have high hopes for this season are going to come crashing down hard... quickly. Our bigs cannot outcompete aggressive bigs and our conference opponents are aware of this. I hope I'm wrong but I'm feeling like this is sneak peek at what's to come. Somebody please talk me off the ledge.

Geezaldinho wrote:Those of you predicting a 10 win non conference season were unrealistic to begin with, so if you come crashing, so be it. The team has a ways to go yet.

Exactly! And if anyone is despondent tonight because the Pilots lost, that fine, you're a true fan! But we just have to realize Valpo is a much better team than UP....and apparently getting better.

The loss doesn't diminish the work the guys have put in and their 5-1 record to this point.

This is "Dead Week" coming up with "Finals Week" to follow...so the Pilots have the Vikings, the Beavers, and their studies to occupy them....no time for diversions.

D'Marques Tyson's 25 today only comes as a surprise to those who haven't seen him in practice or in prep school....the kid can shoot. Because of his ability and that of Jason Todd's, I'm wondering if they, at 6-6, are not the wings of the future, and instead of UP pursuing another wing in Florida, maybe they should instead be saving the remaining 1 or 2 scholarships for a post player...just saying.

Will we see any changes to the starting lineup, or to substitution patterns, for Wednesday's game? Will/should Tyson move into the starting lineup, replacing Pressley? Or, at the very least, will Tyson be the first guard off the bench (rather than Sharp)?

A few questions after looking over the box score...- Why did VDM only play 21 minutes? He was 4-8 from the field, and only had 1 foul. Incredibly, he also had only 1 rebound.- Why did Bailey play 37 minutes when he was playing so poorly? 1-8 shooting and 5 turnovers.- With Voldy also having an awful game offensively (1-6), why didn't Gabe Taylor see some more minutes?

Hard to win when your three leading scorers (Bailey, Gerun, Wintering) shoot a combined 3-19. Without Tyson, the game would have truly been embarrassing for the Pilots. He has now moved up to become the team's second-leader scorer at 12 points/game.

DoubleDipper wrote:D'Marques Tyson's 25 today only comes as a surprise to those who haven't seen him in practice or in prep school....the kid can shoot. Because of his ability and that of Jason Todd's, I'm wondering if they, at 6-6, are not the wings of the future, and instead of UP pursuing another wing in Florida, maybe they should instead be saving the remaining 1 or 2 scholarships for a post player...just saying.

With incoming wing player Chiir Maker already signed up for one of those precious scholarships, I completely agree. We are much more thin at the 4 and 5 positions next year than at the 1-3.